Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional
sports club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
based in
Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
,
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
. It is best known for its men's professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team, which plays in the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
, the top tier of the
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for Football in Germany, association football in Germany that in the 2016–17 Season (sports), season consisted of 2,235 Sports_leag ...
. The club have won eight
league championships, five
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
s, one
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
, one
Intercontinental Cup, and one
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...
.
Founded in 1909 by eighteen football players from Dortmund, the football team is part of a large membership-based sports club with more than 145,000 members, making Borussia Dortmund the second largest sports club by membership in Germany. The club has active departments in other sports, namely in
women's handball
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
. Since 1974, Dortmund have played their home games at
Westfalenstadion
Westfalenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which is the home of Borussia Dortmund. Officially called Signal Iduna Park for sponsorship reasons and BVB Stadion Dortmund in UEFA competitions, the n ...
; the stadium is the largest in Germany, and Dortmund has the highest average attendance of any
association football club
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
in the world.
Borussia Dortmund's colours are black and yellow, giving the club its nickname ''die Schwarzgelben''. They hold a long-standing rivalry with
Ruhr neighbours
Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
, with whom they contest the
Revierderby
The Revierderby () is the name given to any association football match between two clubs in the Ruhr region – also known in German as the ', a contraction of ''Bergbaurevier'' (mining area) – in North Rhine-Westphalia, but almost always refe ...
. They also contest
Der Klassiker with
Bayern Munich.
In terms of
Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of professio ...
's annual
Football Money League, Dortmund was in 2021 ranked as the second richest sports club in Germany, and the 12th richest football team in the world. Moreover, under the directorship of
Michael Zorc
Michael Zorc (born 25 August 1962) is a German former footballer who played as a central midfielder.
Nicknamed "Susi" in his early days because of his long hair, he spent his entire career with Borussia Dortmund, appearing in 572 competitive matc ...
in the 2010s, Dortmund have cultivated a reputation for spotting and developing young talent, and have remained focused on developing a
youth system
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...
. They have also received plaudits for generally adhering to an attacking footballing philosophy.
History
Foundation and early years
![Borussia dortmund 1913](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Borussia_dortmund_1913.jpg)
The club was founded on 19 December 1909 by a group of young men unhappy with the Catholic church-sponsored ''Trinity Youth'', where they played football under the stern and unsympathetic eye of the local parish priest. The priest, Father Dewald was blocked at the door when he tried to break up the organising meeting being held in a room of the local pub, ''Zum Wildschütz''. The founders were Franz and Paul Braun, Henry Cleve, Hans Debest, Paul Dziendzielle, Franz, Julius and Wilhelm Jacobi, Hans Kahn, Gustav Müller, Franz Risse, Fritz Schulte, Hans Siebold, August Tönnesmann, Heinrich and Robert Unger, Fritz Weber and Franz Wendt. The name ''Borussia'' is
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
for
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
but was taken from Borussia beer from the nearby Borussia brewery in Dortmund. The team began playing in blue and white striped shirts with a red sash, and black shorts. In 1913, they donned the black and yellow stripes so familiar today.
Over the next decades the club enjoyed only modest success playing in local leagues. They had a brush with bankruptcy in 1929 when an attempt to boost the club's fortunes by signing some paid professional footballers failed miserably and left the team deep in debt. They survived only through the generosity of a local supporter who covered the team's shortfall out of his own pocket.
The 1930s saw the rise of the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, which restructured sports and football organisations throughout the nation to suit the regime's goals. ''Borussias president was replaced when he refused to join the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
, and a couple of members who surreptitiously used the club's offices to produce anti-Nazi pamphlets were executed in the last days of the war. The club did have greater success in the newly established
Gauliga Westfalen
The Gauliga Westphalia was the highest football league in the Prussian province of Westphalia and the small Free State of Lippe from 1933 to 1945. Shortly after the formation of the league, the Nazis reorganised the administrative regions in Germa ...
, but would have to wait until after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
to make a breakthrough. It was during this time that Borussia developed its intense rivalry with
Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
of suburban
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen (, , ; wep, Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it lies ...
, the most successful side of the era (see ''
Revierderby
The Revierderby () is the name given to any association football match between two clubs in the Ruhr region – also known in German as the ', a contraction of ''Bergbaurevier'' (mining area) – in North Rhine-Westphalia, but almost always refe ...
''). Like every other organisation in Germany, Borussia was dissolved by the Allied occupation authorities after the war in an attempt to distance the country's institutions from its so-recent Nazi past. There was a short-lived attempt to merge the club with two others – ''Werksportgemeinschaft Hoesch'' and ''Freier Sportverein 98'' – as ''Sportgemeinschaft Borussia von 1898'', but it was as ''Ballspiel-Verein Borussia'' (''BVB'') that they made their first appearance in the national league final in 1949, where they lost 2–3 to
VfR Mannheim
VfR Mannheim is a German association football club based in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg formed in 1911 out of the fusion of Mannheimer FG 1896, Mannheimer FG 1897 Union, and FC Viktoria 1897 Mannheim. The club captured the national title in 194 ...
.
First national titles
![Borussia Dortmund Performance Chart](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Borussia_Dortmund_Performance_Chart.png)
Between 1946 and 1963, Borussia featured in the
Oberliga West Oberliga ( en, Premier league) may refer to:
Association football
* Oberliga (football), currently the fifth tier of the German football league system, formerly the first
* DDR-Oberliga, the first tier of football in East Germany until 1990, re ...
, a first division league which dominated German football through the late 1950s. In
1949, Borussia reached the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
against
VfR Mannheim
VfR Mannheim is a German association football club based in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg formed in 1911 out of the fusion of Mannheimer FG 1896, Mannheimer FG 1897 Union, and FC Viktoria 1897 Mannheim. The club captured the national title in 194 ...
, which they lost 2–3 after extra time. The club claimed its first national title in
1956 with a 4–2 win against
Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the DF ...
. One year later, Borussia defeated
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
4–1 to win their
second national title. After this coup, the three Alfredos (
Alfred Preißler
Alfred Preissler (9 April 1921 – 15 July 2003) was a German footballer and manager who played as a forward mostly for Borussia Dortmund. He is the club’s all-time top goalscorer with 177 goals.
The worker’s son grew up in Duisburg, in the ...
,
Alfred Kelbassa
Alfred Kelbassa (21 April 1925 – 11 August 1988) was a German football player.
Kelbassa played for Preußen Münster (1952–1953) and Borussia Dortmund (1954–1963).
He played for West Germany 6 times, scoring two goals, and was a participa ...
and
Alfred Niepieklo
Alfred Niepieklo (11 June 1927 — 2 April 2014) was a German footballer who played as a forward.
Niepieklo played for Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply ...
) were legends in Dortmund. In
1963, Borussia won the last edition of the
German Football Championship
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(before the introduction of the new
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
) to secure their third national title.
Bundesliga debut
In 1962, the
DFB DFB may refer to:
* Deerfield Beach, Florida, a city
* Decafluorobutane, a fluorocarbon gas
* Dem Franchize Boyz, former hip hop group, Atlanta, Georgia
* Dfb, Köppen climate classification for Humid continental climate
* Distributed-feedback ...
met in Dortmund and voted to establish a professional football league in Germany, to begin play in August 1963 as the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
. Borussia Dortmund earned its place among the first sixteen clubs to play in the league by winning the last pre-Bundesliga national championship. Runners-up
1. FC Köln also earned an automatic berth. Dortmund's
Friedhelm Konietzka
Friedhelm "Timo" Konietzka (2 August 1938 – 12 March 2012) was a German professional football player and manager who played as a striker. He earned his nickname "Timo" due to a supposed resemblance to the Soviet commander Semyon Timoshen ...
scored the first-ever Bundesliga goal a minute into the match, which they would eventually lose 2–3 to
Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are best known for the ...
.
In
1965, Dortmund captured its first
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
. In 1966, Dortmund won the
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
2–1 against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in extra time, with the goals coming from
Sigfried Held
Sigfried "Siggi" Held (born 7 August 1942) is a German former football player and coach. He played as an attacking midfielder or forward.
Born in Freudenthal, Sudetenland (now Czech Republic), Held's first football club was Kickers Offenbach. In ...
and
Reinhard Libuda. In the same year, however, the team surrendered a commanding position atop the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
by losing four of their last five league games and finishing second, three points behind champions
1860 München. Ironically, much of 1860 München's success came on the strength of the play of Konietzka, recently transferred from Dortmund.
The 1970s were characterised by financial problems, relegation from the Bundesliga in 1972, and the opening of the
Westfalenstadion
Westfalenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which is the home of Borussia Dortmund. Officially called Signal Iduna Park for sponsorship reasons and BVB Stadion Dortmund in UEFA competitions, the n ...
, named after its home region
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
in 1974. The club earned its return to Bundesliga in 1976.
Dortmund continued to have financial problems through the 1980s. ''BVB'' avoided being relegated in 1986 by winning a third decisive playoff game against
Fortuna Köln
Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until a ...
after finishing the regular season in 16th place. Dortmund did not enjoy any significant success again until a 4–1 DFB-Pokal win in
1989 against Werder Bremen. It was
Horst Köppel
Horst Köppel (born 17 May 1948) is a German football manager and former player who last worked as manager for FC Ingolstadt 04 in 2009.
Playing career
Köppel scored 83 goals in the West German top-flight.
For the West Germany national team ...
's first trophy as a manager. Dortmund then won the
1989 DFL-Supercup 4–3 against rivals
Bayern Munich.
Golden age – the 1990s
After a tenth-place finish in the Bundesliga in
1991, manager
Horst Köppel
Horst Köppel (born 17 May 1948) is a German football manager and former player who last worked as manager for FC Ingolstadt 04 in 2009.
Playing career
Köppel scored 83 goals in the West German top-flight.
For the West Germany national team ...
was let go and manager
Ottmar Hitzfeld
Ottmar Hitzfeld (; born 12 January 1949) is a German former professional football player ( striker) and manager. He accumulated a total of 18 major titles, mostly in his tenures with Grasshopper Club Zürich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. ...
was hired.
In
1992, Hitzfeld led Borussia Dortmund to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga and would have won the title had
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB S ...
not won their last game to become champions instead.
Along with a fourth-place finish in the Bundesliga, Dortmund made it to the 1993
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, which they lost 6–1 on aggregate to
Juventus. In spite of this result, Borussia walked away with
DM25 million under the prize money pool system in place at the time for German sides participating in the Cup. Cash flush, Dortmund was able to sign players who later brought them numerous honours in the 1990s.
Under the
captaincy of 1996
European Footballer of the Year
The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine '' France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (f ...
Matthias Sammer
Matthias Sammer (; born 5 September 1967) is a German football official and former player and coach. He played as a defensive midfielder and later in his career as a sweeper.
With Borussia Dortmund as a player, Sammer won the Bundesliga and DF ...
, Borussia Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
and
1996. Dortmund also won the
DFL-Supercup against
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border.
Geography Municipal subdivisions
Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbac ...
in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
and
1. FC Kaiserslautern in
1996.
In
1996–97 the team reached its first
European Cup final. In a memorable
match
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
at the
Olympiastadion
Olympiastadion is the German, Finnish and Swedish word for Olympic Stadium and may refer to:
* Stockholm Olympic Stadium, the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics (though mostly referred as simply ''Stockholms Stadion'')
* Olympiastadion (Berlin), the ...
in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, Dortmund faced the holders Juventus.
Karl-Heinz Riedle
Karl-Heinz Riedle (; born 16 September 1965) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Despite not being particularly tall, he was nicknamed "Air" throughout his career, due to his notable heading accuracy, jumping an ...
put Dortmund ahead, shooting under goalkeeper
Angelo Peruzzi
Angelo Peruzzi (; born 16 February 1970) is an Italian football coach and former goalkeeper, and a three-time winner of the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award.
Peruzzi is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest Italian goalkeepers of all ...
from a cross by
Paul Lambert
Paul Lambert (born 7 August 1969) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Ipswich Town.
Lambert played as a midfielder and won the Scottish Cup in 1987 with St Mirren as a 17-year-ol ...
. Riedle then made it two with a bullet header from a corner kick. In the second half,
Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero (; born 9 November 1974) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a deep-lying forward, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit ...
pulled one back for Juventus with a back heel. Then 20-year-old substitute and local boy
Lars Ricken
Lars Ricken (born 10 July 1976) is a German retired footballer who played as a midfielder. Since 2008, he has been a youth coordinator at Borussia Dortmund.
He represented Borussia Dortmund during his entire professional career, which spanned 15 ...
latched onto a through pass by
Andreas Möller
Andreas Möller (born 2 September 1967) is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is the head of the youth department at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Club career
At club level, Möller played for Eintrach ...
. Only 16 seconds after coming on to the pitch, Ricken chipped Peruzzi in the Juventus goal from over 20 yards out with his first touch of the ball. With
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the mos ...
unable to make an impression for Juventus against the close marking of Lambert,
Dortmund lifted the trophy with a 3–1 victory.
Dortmund then went on to beat Brazilian club
Cruzeiro 2–0 in the
1997 Intercontinental Cup Final to become world club champions. Borussia Dortmund were the second German club to win the Intercontinental Cup, after Bayern Munich in
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
.
As defending champions Dortmund reached the Champions League semi-final in 1998. The team was missing key players from the start of the season when they played
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
in the '98 semi. Sammer's career was cut short by injury and only played three first team games after the Champions League win. Lambert had left in November to return to play in Scotland. Möller missed the first leg as did Kohler who missed both games in the tie. Real won the first leg 2–0 at home. Dortmund played better in the second leg but failed to take their chances. Dortmund went out 2–0 on aggregate.
21st century and Borussia "goes public"
![Borussia Dortmund Team 2007 08](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Borussia_Dortmund_Team_2007_08.jpg)
In October 2000, Borussia Dortmund became the first publicly traded club on the German stock market.
In
2002, Borussia Dortmund won their third Bundesliga title. Dortmund had a remarkable run at the end of the season to overtake
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...
, securing the title on the final day. Manager
Matthias Sammer
Matthias Sammer (; born 5 September 1967) is a German football official and former player and coach. He played as a defensive midfielder and later in his career as a sweeper.
With Borussia Dortmund as a player, Sammer won the Bundesliga and DF ...
became the first person in Borussia Dortmund history to win the Bundesliga as both a player and manager. In the same season, Borussia lost the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the
2001–02 UEFA Cup to Dutch side
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club (association football), football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names bef ...
.
Dortmund's fortunes then steadily declined for a number of years. Poor financial management led to a heavy debt load and the sale of their Westfalenstadion grounds. The situation was compounded by failure to advance in the
2003–04 UEFA Champions League, when the team was eliminated on penalties in the qualifying rounds by
Club Brugge. In 2003, Bayern Munich loaned €2 million to Dortmund for several months to pay their payroll. Borussia was again driven to the brink of
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
in 2005, the original €11 value of its shares having plummeted by over 80% on the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange
The Frankfurt Stock Exchange (german: link=no, Börse Frankfurt, former German name – FWB) is the world's 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. It has operations from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm ( German time).
Organisation
Locat ...
.
At this time
Hans-Joachim Watzke
Hans-Joachim "Aki" Watzke (born 21 June 1959, Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German businessman and football official. He is the CEO of Borussia Dortmund.
Background
Watzke watched his first games at the Rote Erde as a child, and has b ...
was appointed CEO and streamlined the club. The response to the crisis included a 20% pay cut for all players. In 2006, in order to reduce debt, the
Westfalenstadion
Westfalenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which is the home of Borussia Dortmund. Officially called Signal Iduna Park for sponsorship reasons and BVB Stadion Dortmund in UEFA competitions, the n ...
was renamed "Signal Iduna Park" after a local insurance company. The naming rights agreement runs until 2021.
Dortmund suffered a miserable start to the
2005–06 season, but rallied to finish seventh. The club failed to gain a place in the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
via the Fair Play draw. The club's management recently indicated that the club again showed a profit; this was largely related to the sale of
David Odonkor
David Odonkor (born 21 February 1984) is a German footballer who plays as a right winger. He plays for the amateur side SC Düsseldorf-West II.
He started playing professionally with Borussia Dortmund, appearing in 90 competitive matches. In th ...
to
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...
and
Tomáš Rosický
Tomáš Rosický (; born 4 October 1980) is a Czech former professional footballer who was the captain of the Czech Republic national team for a ten-year period. He played club football for Sparta Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal.
He s ...
to
Arsenal.
In the
2006–07 season, Dortmund unexpectedly faced serious
relegation
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
trouble for the first time in years. Dortmund went through three coaches and appointed
Thomas Doll
Thomas Jens Uwe Doll (born 9 April 1966) is a German professional football manager and a former football player who is the current Manager of Persija Jakarta. He played as an attacking midfielder for F.C. Hansa Rostock, BFC Dynamo, Hamburger SV, ...
on 13 March 2007 after dropping to just one point above the relegation zone.
Christoph Metzelder
Christoph Tobias Metzelder (born 5 November 1980) is a German former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Most of his professional career, which was spent mostly at Borussia Dortmund, was blighted by injuries. He did manage, how ...
also left Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer.
In the
2007–08 season, Dortmund lost to many smaller
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
clubs. Despite finishing 13th in the Bundesliga table, Dortmund reached the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
Final against Bayern Munich, where they lost 2–1 in extra time. The final appearance qualified Dortmund for the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
because Bayern already qualified for the
Champions League. Thomas Doll resigned on 19 May 2008 and was replaced by
Jürgen Klopp
Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Liverpool. He is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the world.
Klopp spent most of his playing ...
.
Return to prominence
![Championship celebration Borussia Dortmund 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Championship_celebration_Borussia_Dortmund_2011.jpg)
In the
2009–10 season, Klopp's Dortmund improved on the season before finishing fifth in the Bundesliga to qualify for the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
. The team missed an opportunity to qualify for the
Champions League by failing to beat eighth-place
VfL Wolfsburg
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
and 14th-place
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bund ...
in the final two matches of the campaign.
Entering the
2010–11 season, Dortmund fielded a young and vibrant roster. On 4 December 2010, Borussia became ''
Herbstmeister
Herbstmeister or Autumnmeister is a name for a person or team which stands at first place after the first half of the season. This is usually the leader of the highest league. A requirement however, is that the season continues until the summer of ...
'' ("Autumn Champion"), an unofficial accolade going to the league leader at the winter break. They did this three matches before the break, sharing the record for having achieved this earliest with
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
(1993–94) and 1. FC Kaiserslautern (1997–98). On 30 April 2011, the club beat
1. FC Nürnberg 2–0 at home, while second-place Bayer Leverkusen lost, leaving Dortmund eight points clear with two games to play. This championship equalled the seven national titles held by rivals Schalke 04, and guaranteed a spot in the
2011–12 Champions League group stages.
One year later, Dortmund made a successful defence of its Bundesliga title with a win over
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
, again on the 32nd match day. By the 34th and final match day, Dortmund set a new record with the most points—81—ever gained by a club in one Bundesliga season.
This was surpassed the following season by Bayern Munich's 91 points.
The club's eighth championship places it third in
total national titles, and players will now wear
two stars over their uniform crest in recognition of the team's five Bundesliga titles. Notable names from the winning roster include
Lucas Barrios
Lucas Ramón Barrios Cáceres (; born 13 November 1984) is an Argentine-born Paraguayan former footballer. Barrios was known for his effectiveness in the target area. This earned him his nickname ''La Pantera'', which means ''The Panther''.
Eve ...
,
Mario Götze
Mario Götze (born 3 June 1992) is a German professional footballer who plays for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and the Germany national team. Although his favoured position is that of a playmaker, Götze has also played as a false ni ...
,
Neven Subotić
Neven Subotić (; Serbian Cyrillic: Heвeн Cубoтић; born 10 December 1988) is a Serbian retired professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Subotić made his professional debut in 2007 for 1. FSV Mainz 05. In the following year, ...
,
Mats Hummels,
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski (; born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. Recognised for his positioning, technique and finishing, Lewandowski is co ...
,
Shinji Kagawa
Shinji Kagawa ( ja, 香川 真司 ''Kagawa Shinji'' ; born 17 March 1989) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian First Division A club Sint-Truiden and the Japan national team. He is widely regarded as one o ...
,
Łukasz Piszczek
Łukasz Piotr Piszczek (; born 3 June 1985) is a Polish professional footballer who plays for III liga club Goczałkowice-Zdrój. He is primarily positioned as a right-back, but is capable of playing as a centre-back.
He began his senior career ...
,
Jakub Błaszczykowski
Jakub Błaszczykowski (; born 14 December 1985), also known as Kuba, is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Wisła Kraków, businessman and Wisła Kraków's part owner. He started his professional football at Wisła Krakó ...
,
Kevin Großkreutz
Kevin Großkreutz (born 19 July 1988) is a German former professional footballer who plays as a right back and winger for TuS Bövinghausen in the amateur-level Oberliga Westfalen.
He made his senior debut at Rot Weiss Ahlen, and in 2009 joined ...
,
Ivan Perišić
Ivan Perišić (; born 2 February 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Croatia national team. Usually deployed as a winger, he has also featured as an attacking midfielder, se ...
and
İlkay Gündoğan
İlkay Gündoğan (born 24 October 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Manchester City and the Germany national team.
Gündoğan came through VfL Bochum's youth academy. In 2008, he began playing for t ...
. The club capped its successful 2011–12 season by winning the
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
for the first time by beating Bayern 5–2 in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
. Borussia Dortmund are one of four German clubs to win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
, along with Bayern Munich,
1. FC Köln and
Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are best known for the ...
. The club was voted Team of the Year 2011 at the annual ''Sportler des Jahres'' (German Sports Personality of the Year) awards.
![BVB-Fans in Wembley](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/BVB-Fans_in_Wembley.jpg)
Borussia Dortmund ended the
2012–13 season in second place in the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
. Dortmund played in their second
UEFA Champions League Final
The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of Europea ...
against Bayern Munich in the first ever all-German club final at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
on 25 May 2013, which they lost 2–1.
In the
2013–14 season, Borussia Dortmund won the
2013 DFL-Supercup 4–2 against rivals Bayern Munich. The 2013–14 season started with a five-game winning streak for Dortmund, their best start to a season. Despite such a promising start, however, their season was hampered by injuries to several key players, seeing them stoop as low as fourth place in the table, and with a depleted squad could go only as far as the quarter-finals of the
Champions League, losing 3–2 on aggregate to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
. Nevertheless, Dortmund managed to end their season on a high note by finishing second in the Bundesliga and reaching the
2014 DFB-Pokal Final, losing 0–2 to Bayern in extra time. They then began their
2014–15 season by defeating Bayern in the
2014 DFL-Supercup 2–0. However, this victory would not be enough to inspire the squad to a solid performance at the start of the ensuing season, with Dortmund recording various results such as a 0–1 loss to
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
and two 2–2 draws against
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB S ...
and Bundesliga newcomers
Paderborn 07. During the winter, Dortmund fell to the bottom of the table on multiple occasions, but managed to escape the relegation zone after four consecutive wins in February. On 15 April 2015, Jürgen Klopp announced that after seven years, he would be leaving Dortmund. Four days later, Dortmund announced that
Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel (; born 29 August 1973) is a German professional football manager and former player who last managed Premier League club Chelsea.
Born in Krumbach, Tuchel retired at age 25 after a chronic knee cartilage injury; in 2000, he b ...
would replace Klopp at the end of the season. Klopp's final season, however, ended on high note, rising and finishing seventh after facing relegation, gaining a DFB-Pokal final with VfL Wolfsburg and qualifying for the
2015–16 Europa League.
Post-Klopp era
In the
2015–16 season, Dortmund started off on a high, winning 4–0 against
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
on the opening day, followed by five-straight wins which took them to the top of the Bundesliga. After the eighth matchday, they were surpassed by Bayern Munich following an unlucky draw with
1899 Hoffenheim. Dortmund kept their performances up, winning 24 out of 34 league games and becoming the best Bundesliga runner-up team of all time. In the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
, they advanced to the quarter-finals, getting knocked out by a Jürgen Klopp-led
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in a dramatic comeback at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
, where defender
Dejan Lovren
Dejan Lovren (; born 5 July 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Russian Premier League club Zenit Saint Petersburg and the Croatia national team.
Lovren began his career at Dinamo Zagreb before moving to ...
scored a late goal to make it 4–3 to the Reds and 5–4 on aggregate. In the
2015–16 DFB-Pokal
The 2015–16 DFB-Pokal was the 73rd season of the annual German football cup competition. Sixty-four teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the previous year's Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It began on 7 August 2015 ...
, for the third-straight year Dortmund made it to the competition
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, but lost to Bayern Munich on penalties.
On 11 April 2017,
three explosions occurred near the team's bus on its way to a
Champions League match against
AS Monaco
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Frenc ...
at the
Signal Iduna Park
Westfalenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which is the home of Borussia Dortmund. Officially called Signal Iduna Park for sponsorship reasons and BVB Stadion Dortmund in UEFA competitions, the n ...
. Defender
Marc Bartra
Marc Bartra Aregall (, ; born 15 January 1991) is a Spanish professional association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor and the Catalonia national football team, Catalonia national team.
He started h ...
was injured, and taken to hospital. Dortmund went on to lose the game 2–3 to AS Monaco. Dortmund's manager,
Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel (; born 29 August 1973) is a German professional football manager and former player who last managed Premier League club Chelsea.
Born in Krumbach, Tuchel retired at age 25 after a chronic knee cartilage injury; in 2000, he b ...
, blamed the loss as a result of an ignorant decision by
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
. UEFA went on to say that the team made no objection to playing, and that the decision was made in compliance with the club and local law enforcement. In the second leg, Dortmund went on to lose 1–3, leaving the aggregate score at 3–6, and seeing them eliminated from that year's UEFA Champions League. On 26 April, Dortmund defeated
Bayern Munich 3–2 in Munich to advance to the
2017 DFB-Pokal Final, Dortmund's fourth consecutive final and fifth in six seasons. On 27 May, Dortmund won the
2016–17 DFB-Pokal 2–1 over
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
with the winner coming from a penalty converted by
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (born 18 June 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Chelsea. He is renowned for his pace, finishing, and off-ball movement. Born in France, he is a former ...
.
Ahead of the 2017–18 season, Thomas Tuchel stepped down as manager. The Dortmund board made a decision to hire
Peter Bosz
Peter Sylvester Bosz (, born 21 November 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. Playing career
Club
A midfielder, Bosz started his professional career played with Vitesse in 1981; after a loan season with then amat ...
as the new manager and head coach. Although Bosz got off to a record-breaking start in the team's first 7 games, what followed was 20 games without a win, after which he was relieved of his staff role.
Peter Stöger
Peter Stöger (; born 11 April 1966) is an Austrian football coach and a former player.
As a player Stöger won the Austrian championship 4 times, the cup 3 times. As a coach or sporting director Stöger won the Austrian championship 2 times and ...
was announced as the interim coach. During the January window of the same season, Aubameyang and Bartra both left the club. Stöger bought
Manuel Akanji
Manuel Obafemi Akanji (born 19 July 1995) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Manchester City and the Switzerland national team.
Club career Youth football and early career
Born in Neftenbach, Akanji began his ...
of
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel, FCB, or just Basel, is a Swiss football club based in Basel, in the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Formed in 1893, the club has been Swiss national champions 20 times, Swiss Cup winners 13 times, a ...
for a fee of €21.5 million and
Michy Batshuayi
Michy Batshuayi-Atunga (born 2 October 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and the Belgium national team.
Batshuayi began his professional career at Standard Liège in 2011, scorin ...
on a six-month loan from
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. Stöger coached Dortmund for the rest of the season, granting them a fourth-place finish in the Bundesliga before stepping down at the end of the season. Michy Batshuayi also returned to Chelsea.
In the summer of 2018, Dortmund appointed former
OGC Nice coach,
Lucien Favre
Lucien Favre (; born 2 November 1957) is a Swiss professional football manager and former player who currently manages club Nice. Favre was a playmaker for various Swiss and French clubs, the longest for Servette, with whom he also won the cha ...
as their manager/head coach. After a very busy transfer window for the team, seeing eight new players arrive at the club for the first team squad, Dortmund performed strongly, chasing
Bayern Munich for the title race down to the last matchday, narrowly missing out on the league title by two points and earning Lucien Favre a contract extension. A four-part
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
documentary series was created, about the same season, named "Inside Borussia Dortmund".
The next season, Dortmund pulled off a few big-name signings with the intent of winning the Bundesliga title. Although they won the DFL Supercup, this was their only silverware this season. After a scrappy first half of the season, they changed their tactics and made a few more transfers in the January Window. They were eliminated in both the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Champions League as well. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
The COVID-19 pandemic in Germany has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths.
On 27 January 2020, the first case in Germany was confirmed near Munich, Bavaria. By mid February, the arising cluster of cases had been fully containe ...
, the season stopped abruptly. Once the restart occurred, Dortmund looked better but their performances were not enough to stop a dominant Bayern Munich side from grasping the Bundesliga title. They finished the 2019–20 season in second place after beating
RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bu ...
in matchweek 33 due to a brace from
Erling Haaland
Erling Braut Haaland (; born 21 July 2000) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Manchester City and the Norway national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his speed, stre ...
.
Dortmund got off to a rather shaky start in the 2020–21 season. They lost the DFL-Supercup and had an inconsistent set of results in the Champions League and the Bundesliga. After a humiliating 5–1 defeat to Stuttgart in Matchday 11, Lucien Favre was relieved of his managerial duties. Assistant manager
Edin Terzić was placed as the caretaker for the rest of the season. Under Terzić, Dortmund finished third on the final matchday of the Bundesliga and was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in a clash against Manchester City. The team then managed to win the DFB-Pokal,
defeating RB Leipzig 4–1 in the final. Marco Rose was appointed manager for the 2021–22 season with Terzić being appointed as the club's new technical director.
Crest
File:Logo Borussia Dortmund (1945-1964).svg, 1945–1964
File:Logo Borussia Dortmund 1964 - 1974.gif, 1964–1974
File:Logo Borussia Dortmund 1974 - 1976.gif, 1974–1976 and 1978–1993
File:Borussia Dortmund logo.svg, 1993–present
File:Borussia Dortmund.svg, 2012–present
Grounds
Stadiums
The Westfalenstadion is the home stadium of Borussia Dortmund, Germany's largest stadium and the seventh-largest in Europe. The stadium is officially named "Signal Iduna Park" after insurance company
Signal Iduna
The SIGNAL IDUNA Group offers insurance and financial services. The group was created through the merger of the Dortmund-based Signal Versicherungen and the Hamburg-based Iduna Nova Group on 1 July 1999. The companies of these two groups have ...
purchased the rights to name the stadium until 2021.
This name, however, cannot be used when hosting
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
and
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
events, since these governing bodies have policies forbidding corporate sponsorship from companies that are not official tournament partners. During the
2006 World Cup, the stadium was referred to as "FIFA World Cup Stadium, Dortmund", while in UEFA club matches, it is known as "BVB Stadion Dortmund". The stadium currently hosts up to 81,359 spectators (standing and seated) for league matches and 65,829 seated spectators for international matches. For these, the characteristic southern grandstand is re-equipped with seats to conform to FIFA regulations.
In 1974, the Westfalenstadion replaced the
Stadion Rote Erde
Stadion Rote Erde (; ''Red Earth Stadium'') is a 25,000 capacity (3,000 seated) football and athletics stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It serves as the home stadium to Borussia Dortmund II and several athletic clubs. The stadium was ...
, which is located next door and serves now as the stadium of
Borussia Dortmund II. After the increasing popularity of Borussia Dortmund in the 1960s, it became obvious that the traditional ground was too small for the increasing number of Borussia Dortmund supporters. The city of Dortmund, however, was not able to finance a new stadium and federal institutions were unwilling to help. But in 1971, Dortmund was selected to replace the city of
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
, which was forced to withdraw its plans to host games in the
1974 World Cup. The funds originally set aside for the projected stadium in Cologne were thus re-allocated to Dortmund, and a new stadium became reality.
The Westfalenstadion has undergone several renovations throughout the years to increase the size of the stadium, including an expansion of the stadium for the 2006 World Cup. In 2008, the ''Borusseum'', a museum about Borussia Dortmund, opened in the stadium. In 2011, Borussia Dortmund agreed to a partnership with
Q-Cells
Hanwha Q Cells (commonly known as simply Q CELLS) is a major manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. The company is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, after being founded in 1999 in Thalheim, Germany, where the company still has its eng ...
. The company installed 8,768
solar cell
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon. s on the roof of the Westfalenstadion to generate up to 860,000
kWh per year.
Borussia Dortmund has the highest average attendance of any
football club
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
worldwide.
In 2014, it was estimated that each of the club's home games is attended by around 1,000 British spectators, drawn to the team by its low ticket prices compared to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
.
Training ground
Borussia Dortmund's
training ground
A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important t ...
and
Academy
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
base ''Hohenbuschei'' is located in Brackel, a district of Dortmund.
Inside the complex, there are
physical exercise training for
physical fitness and
rehabilitation robotics
Rehabilitation robotics is a field of research dedicated to understanding and augmenting rehabilitation through the application of robotic devices. Rehabilitation robotics includes development of robotic devices tailored for assisting different se ...
areas,
physiotherapy and massage rooms, and remedial and
hydrotherapy pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built above ground (as ...
s. There are also
sauna
A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...
rooms,
steam room
A steam bath is a steam-filled room for the purpose of relaxation and cleansing. It has a long history, going back to Greek and Roman times.
History
The origins of the steam bath come from the Roman bath, which began during the height of the R ...
s and
weight room
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the physical strength, strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Acros ...
s, classrooms,
conference hall A conference hall, conference room, or meeting room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings.
Room
It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even ...
s, offices for the BVB
front office
The front office is the part of a company that comes in contact with clients, such as the marketing, sales, and service departments. The term has more specific meaning in different industries.
Types
General offices
The function of front office ...
, a restaurant, and a TV studio to
interview
An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...
the BVB
professional footballer
Association football is the world's most popular sport and is worth US$600 billion worldwide. By the end of the 20th century it was played by over 250 million players in over 200 countries. Around the world, the sport is played at a professi ...
s and
coaching staff
The coaching staff is a group of non-athletes tied to a sports team. A coaching staff can be existent at all levels of athletics. It is led by a head coach (known as a manager or senior coach in some sports) and consists of one or more assistant c ...
for ''BVB total!'', the channel owned by the club. On the grounds, there are five grass
pitches, two of which have
under-soil heating
Under-soil heating is a method used in various sports stadia (with a grass surface) which heats the underside of the pitch to avoid any elements from bad weather, such as snow and ice, from building up and ultimately helps the club avoid having to ...
, one
artificial grass field, three small
grass
Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
pitches and a multi-functional
sports arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances, or Sport, sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating f ...
. The site covers a total area of .
In addition, the club owns a ''Footbonaut'', a training
robot
A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...
which is effectively a training cage.
The training complex and youth performance centre, located in Hohenbuschei, will be expanded in stages until 2021. In addition, the ''Sports Business Office'' will be entirely rebuilt from scratch. The planned construction, which will cost up to 20 million euros, will make BVB the best-equipped
football club
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
in the country with regards to infrastructure.
In the ''Strobelallee Training Centre'', the BVB Evonik Football Academy has an outstanding training venue exclusively at its disposal. Among others, the Bundesliga-team used to prepare for their matches on the club's former training ground.
Organisation and finance
Borussia Dortmund
e.V. is represented by its management board and a
board of directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
consisting of
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Dr.
Reinhard Rauball
Reinhard Rauball (born 25 December 1946) is a German politician, member of the SPD, a trained lawyer, and football official. He is known for having served as president of football team Borussia Dortmund several times and also served very briefly ...
, his proxy and
vice-president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
Gerd Pieper, and
treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury ...
Dr. Reinhold Lunow.
Professional football at Dortmund is run by the organisation Borussia Dortmund
GmbH & Co. KGaA. This corporation model has two types of participators: at least one partner with
unlimited liability
An unlimited company or private unlimited company is a hybrid company (corporation) incorporated with or without a share capital (and similar to its limited company counterpart) but where the legal liability of the members or shareholders is not ...
and at least one partner with
limited liability
Limited liability is a legal status in which a person's financial liability is limited to a fixed sum, most commonly the value of a person's investment in a corporation, company or partnership. If a company that provides limited liability to it ...
. The investment of the latter is divided into
stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
s. The organisation Borussia Dortmund
GmbH is the partner with
unlimited liability
An unlimited company or private unlimited company is a hybrid company (corporation) incorporated with or without a share capital (and similar to its limited company counterpart) but where the legal liability of the members or shareholders is not ...
and is responsible for the management and representation of Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA. Borussia Dortmund GmbH is fully owned by the sports club, Borussia Dortmund e.V. This organizational structure was designed to ensure that the sports club has full control over the professional squad.
The
stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
of Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA was floated on the
stock market in October 2000 and is listed in the General Standard of
Deutsche Börse
Deutsche Börse AG () or the Deutsche Börse Group, is a German company offering marketplace organizing for the trading of shares and other securities. It is also a transaction services provider. It gives companies and investors access to gl ...
AG. Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA became the first and so far the only publicly traded
sports club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
on the German stock market. 5.53% of Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA is owned by the sports club, Borussia Dortmund e.V.; 9.33% by Bernd Geske; and 59.93% widely spread
shareholdings.
Hans-Joachim Watzke is the
CEO and Thomas Treß is the
CFO
The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...
of the GmbH & Co. KGaA.
Michael Zorc
Michael Zorc (born 25 August 1962) is a German former footballer who played as a central midfielder.
Nicknamed "Susi" in his early days because of his long hair, he spent his entire career with Borussia Dortmund, appearing in 572 competitive matc ...
as
sporting director
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
is responsible for the first team, the
coaching staff
The coaching staff is a group of non-athletes tied to a sports team. A coaching staff can be existent at all levels of athletics. It is led by a head coach (known as a manager or senior coach in some sports) and consists of one or more assistant c ...
, the youth and junior section, and
scouting.
The
supervisory board
In corporate governance, a governance board also known as council of delegates are chosen by the stockholders of a company to promote their interests through the governance of the company and to hire and fire the board of directors.
In civil s ...
consists, among others, of politicians
Werner Müller and
Peer Steinbrück
Peer Steinbrück (born 10 January 1947) is a German politician who was the Chancellor-candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the 2013 federal election. Steinbrück served as the eighth Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia f ...
.
Borussia Dortmund e.V. and Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA's
economic indicator
An economic indicator is a statistic about an economic activity. Economic indicators allow analysis of economic performance and predictions of future performance. One application of economic indicators is the study of business cycles. Economic ...
s reveal that BVB will be generating
revenue
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...
of €305 million (US$408 million) from September 2012 to August 2013.
According to the 2015
Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of professio ...
's annual
Football Money League, BVB generated
revenue
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...
s of €262 million during the 2013–14 season. This figure excludes player transfer fees, VAT and other sales-related taxes.
Current management and board
Kits and sponsorship
Dortmund's main advertising partner and current shirt sponsor is
Evonik
Evonik Industries AG is a stock-listed German specialty chemicals company headquartered in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the second largest chemicals company in Germany, and one of the largest specialty chemicals companies in the ...
.
The insurance company
Signal Iduna
The SIGNAL IDUNA Group offers insurance and financial services. The group was created through the merger of the Dortmund-based Signal Versicherungen and the Hamburg-based Iduna Nova Group on 1 July 1999. The companies of these two groups have ...
purchased the rights to name the
Westfalenstadion
Westfalenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which is the home of Borussia Dortmund. Officially called Signal Iduna Park for sponsorship reasons and BVB Stadion Dortmund in UEFA competitions, the n ...
''Signal Iduna Park'' until 2021.
The main equipment supplier is
Puma since the 2012–13 season.
The contract is currently valid. The club announced a deal with
Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...
to be the first-ever sleeve sponsor from the 2017–18 season.
In addition, there are three different levels of partners: ''BVBChampionPartner'' includes among others
Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...
,
bwin,
Brinkhoff's,
Wilo,
Hankook
Hankook Tire & Technology (; , also known simply as Hankook and stylised ), is a South Korean tire company. Based in Seoul, Hankook is the seventh largest tire company in the world.
History
Hankook Tire was established by Jae Hun Chung's grandf ...
and
EA Sports
EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" ...
; ''BVBPartner'' includes among others
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
,
Eurowings
Eurowings GmbH is a German low-cost carrier headquartered in Düsseldorf and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Founded in 1996, it serves a network of domestic and European destinations and formerly also operated some long-hau ...
,
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
,
Ruhr Nachrichten
''Ruhr Nachrichten'' is a daily newspaper that has been published in Dortmund, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Ru ...
,
REWE
Rewe (stylized as REWE; ) is a supermarket chain in Germany and the main brand of Rewe Group headquartered in Cologne. The name originated from an abbreviation of the original name "Revisionsverband der Westkauf-Genossenschaften" (Audit union ...
and
Aral; and ''BVBProduktPartner'' includes among others
ofo,
Westfalenhallen
Westfalenhallen (English: Halls of Westphalia) is a commercial complex composed of conference (Kongresszentrum Dortmund) and exhibition centers (Messe Dortmund) with an indoor arena (Westfalenhalle), located in Dortmund, Germany. It is surroun ...
and
TEDi.
Since 2012,
Brixental
The Brixental ("Brixen Valley") is a southeastern side valley of the Tyrolean Lower Inn Valley in Austria with a length of about 30 km (18.6 mi). Near Wörgl (513 m AMSL; 318 mi) the Brixental and Inn valleys meet. The Brixen ...
in the
Kitzbühel Alps
The Kitzbühel Alps (german: Kitzbüheler Alpen or ''Kitzbühler Alpen'') are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps surrounding the town of Kitzbühel in Tyrol, Austria. Geologically they are part of the western slate zone (greywacke zone) ...
in Austria is a BVB sponsor as well; furthermore, the region is host of one of the annual summer training camps.
Sponsors
Charity
Borussia Dortmund has raised money for charity over the years for various causes. On 17 May 2011, Borussia Dortmund held a charity game for the
2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami against "Team Japan". Ticket sales from the game and €1 million from Dortmund's main sponsor
Evonik
Evonik Industries AG is a stock-listed German specialty chemicals company headquartered in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the second largest chemicals company in Germany, and one of the largest specialty chemicals companies in the ...
went to charity for Japan earthquake and tsunami victims. In November 2012, Borussia Dortmund KGaA founded a charitable trust called ''leuchte auf'', to give important social projects financial help.
The trust's logo is a star consisting of the streets which meet at Dortmund's Borsigplatz, where the club was founded. On 6 July 2013, Borussia Dortmund held a charity game to raise money for
2013 German flood victims in the German states of
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
and
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt (german: Sachsen-Anhalt ; nds, Sassen-Anholt) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of
and has a population of 2.18 million inhabitants, making it the ...
.
In March 2020, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, and Bayer Leverkusen, the four German UEFA Champions League teams for the 2019–20 season, collectively gave €20 million to Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga teams that were struggling financially during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Since 1996, during
Advent, Borussia Dortmund players visit the children's hospital in Dortmund where the players meet with the patients and give them gifts.
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Reserves and academy
Club captains
Since 1963, 18 players have held the position of club captain for Borussia Dortmund.
The first club captain after the introduction of the Bundesliga was
Alfred Schmidt, who was captain from 1963 to 1965.
The longest-serving captain
Michael Zorc
Michael Zorc (born 25 August 1962) is a German former footballer who played as a central midfielder.
Nicknamed "Susi" in his early days because of his long hair, he spent his entire career with Borussia Dortmund, appearing in 572 competitive matc ...
, who was club captain from 1988 to 1997, has the distinction of having won the most trophies as captain; he won two
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
titles, one
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
, three
DFL-Supercups and one
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
.
The current club captain is
Marco Reus
Marco Reus (; born 31 May 1989) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward. He captains Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and plays for the Germany national team.
Reus spent his youth career at Borussia ...
, who took over after
Marcel Schmelzer
Marcel Schmelzer (; born 22 January 1988) is a German former professional footballer who last played as a left-back for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, serving as captain from 2016 to 2018. He was capped by Germany at international level. A ...
stepped down from his role as the club's captain for the 2018–19 season.
Non-playing staff
Head coaches
In July 1935, Fritz Thelen became the club's first full-time head coach, but was not available in the first months of the season, forcing Dortmund player and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
international
Ernst Kuzorra
Ernst Kuzorra (16 October 1905 – 1 January 1990) was a German footballer of the pre-war era. During his entire career, he played for Schalke 04, whom he led to six national championships and one national cup. He is commonly regarded as the gre ...
to take over instead. In 1966,
Willi Multhaup
Willi Multhaup (19 July 1903 – 18 December 1982) was a German football manager and player who led Borussia Dortmund to victory in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1966.
Career
Multhaup won the 1964–65 Bundesliga with Werder Bremen. He won th ...
led his side to the
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
, the first German team to win a European trophy.
Horst Köppel
Horst Köppel (born 17 May 1948) is a German football manager and former player who last worked as manager for FC Ingolstadt 04 in 2009.
Playing career
Köppel scored 83 goals in the West German top-flight.
For the West Germany national team ...
was the coach to bring major silverware to the club for the first time in over 20 years, winning the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
in 1989.
Ottmar Hitzfeld
Ottmar Hitzfeld (; born 12 January 1949) is a German former professional football player ( striker) and manager. He accumulated a total of 18 major titles, mostly in his tenures with Grasshopper Club Zürich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. ...
is the club's most successful coach, having won both the Bundesliga and
Supercup twice. In
1997, Dortmund had waited for continental success for over 30 years; Hitzfeld crowned his period with an unexpected triumph and won the
Champions League. Dortmund won the
Intercontinental Cup in
1997 and head coach
Nevio Scala
Nevio Scala (; born 22 November 1947) is an Italian football sporting director, coach and former player.
Throughout his footballing career, he played as a midfielder for several Italian clubs, and won several titles during his time with A.C. Mi ...
became the first and so far the only non-native speaker who won a major title. In
2001–02,
Matthias Sammer
Matthias Sammer (; born 5 September 1967) is a German football official and former player and coach. He played as a defensive midfielder and later in his career as a sweeper.
With Borussia Dortmund as a player, Sammer won the Bundesliga and DF ...
, a former BVB player, brought the league title back to Dortmund. In
2008–09, the club approached
Mainz 05
1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05 () or simply Mainz (), is a German sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. 1. FSV Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top ...
head coach
Jürgen Klopp
Jürgen Norbert Klopp (; born 16 June 1967) is a German professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Liverpool. He is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the world.
Klopp spent most of his playing ...
. He won the club's seventh championship title in
2010–11. In his
fourth season, Dortmund won the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
and the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
to complete the first league and cup
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
in the club's history. Successor
Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel (; born 29 August 1973) is a German professional football manager and former player who last managed Premier League club Chelsea.
Born in Krumbach, Tuchel retired at age 25 after a chronic knee cartilage injury; in 2000, he b ...
won the
2016–17 DFB-Pokal.
On 22 May 2018,
Lucien Favre
Lucien Favre (; born 2 November 1957) is a Swiss professional football manager and former player who currently manages club Nice. Favre was a playmaker for various Swiss and French clubs, the longest for Servette, with whom he also won the cha ...
was confirmed as the new head coach of the club for the 2018–19 season.
He was able to win the
2019 DFL-Supercup on 3 August 2019.
On 12 December 2020, Dortmund suffered a 5–1 defeat against
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB S ...
. Favre was fired the next day.
Records
![Michael Zorc20110918](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Michael_Zorc20110918.jpg)
Borussia Dortmund's name is attached to a number of Bundesliga and European records:
* The Borussia Dortmund player with the most appearances is
Michael Zorc
Michael Zorc (born 25 August 1962) is a German former footballer who played as a central midfielder.
Nicknamed "Susi" in his early days because of his long hair, he spent his entire career with Borussia Dortmund, appearing in 572 competitive matc ...
, with 572 in all competitions.
* The Borussia Dortmund player with the most goals is
Alfred Preissler
Alfred Preissler (9 April 1921 – 15 July 2003) was a German footballer and manager who played as a forward mostly for Borussia Dortmund. He is the club’s all-time top goalscorer with 177 goals.
The worker’s son grew up in Duisburg, in the ...
, with 174 in all competitions.
* The most goals ever in a
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
match (12) occurred when Dortmund beat
Legia Warsaw 8–4 in the
2016–17 season.
*
Youssoufa Moukoko
Youssoufa Moukoko (born 20 November 2004) is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team. He is known for his scoring ability at younger age levels.
Club career E ...
became the youngest player in Bundesliga history (aged 16 years and 1 day) when he appeared for Borussia Dortmund against
Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...
on 21 November 2020.
* Moukoko also became the youngest player in UEFA Champions League history (aged 16 years and 18 days) when he was subbed on for Dortmund against
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, acco ...
on 8 December 2020.
* Moukoko became both the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history and the youngest player to score for Dortmund (aged 16 years and 28 days) after netting against
Union Berlin
1. Fußballclub Union Berlin e. V., commonly known as 1. FC Union Berlin () or Union Berlin, is a professional German football club in Köpenick, Berlin.
The club's origins can be traced to 1906, when its predecessor FC Olympia Oberschöneweid ...
on 18 December 2020.
* Dortmund was on the receiving end of the worst loss ever in a Bundesliga match when they suffered a
12–0 defeat away to
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
on 29 April 1978.
* BVB and
Bayern Munich were carded a record of 15 times (3 for Dortmund, 12 for Munich) in a match played on 7 April 2001.
* The most penalties given in a Bundesliga match was five, in a game played between
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
and Dortmund on 9 November 1965.
* The first goal ever scored in Bundesliga play was by Dortmund's
Friedhelm Konietzka
Friedhelm "Timo" Konietzka (2 August 1938 – 12 March 2012) was a German professional football player and manager who played as a striker. He earned his nickname "Timo" due to a supposed resemblance to the Soviet commander Semyon Timoshen ...
against
Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are best known for the ...
; however, Werder Bremen won 3–2.
* Former Borussia Dortmund striker
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (born 18 June 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Chelsea. He is renowned for his pace, finishing, and off-ball movement. Born in France, he is a former ...
is one of only three players, the others being
Klaus Allofs
Klaus Allofs (born 5 December 1956) is a German former professional Association football, football player, manager, and executive.
A Forward (association football)#Striker, striker, Allofs was a prolific goalscorer for club and country. He ama ...
and
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski (; born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. Recognised for his positioning, technique and finishing, Lewandowski is co ...
, to have scored at least once in ten straight Bundesliga matchdays. He was also the first player ever to score at least once in the first eight matchdays of a Bundesliga season, and formerly held the record for most Bundesliga goals in a single season by a foreign player (31 in
2016–17).
Honours
Domestic
*
German Championship/
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
** Winners:
1956,
1957,
1963,
1994–95,
1995–96,
2001–02,
2010–11,
2011–12
** ''Runners-up'':
1949,
1961,
1965–66,
1991–92,
2012–13,
2013–14,
2015–16,
2018–19,
2019–20,
2021–22
*
2. Bundesliga North
** ''Runners-up:''
1975–76
*
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
** Winners:
1964–65,
1988–89,
2011–12,
2016–17,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
** ''Runners-up'': 1962–63 DFB-Pokal, 1962–63, 2007–08 DFB-Pokal, 2007–08, 2013–14 DFB-Pokal, 2013–14, 2014–15 DFB-Pokal, 2014–15, 2015–16 DFB-Pokal, 2015–16
* DFL-Supercup, DFB/DFL-Supercup
** Winners: 1989 DFB-Supercup, 1989,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
,
1996, 2013 DFL-Supercup, 2013, 2014 DFL-Supercup, 2014, 2019 DFL-Supercup, 2019
** ''Runners-up'': 2011 DFL-Supercup, 2011, 2012 DFL-Supercup, 2012, 2016 DFL-Supercup, 2016, 2017 DFL-Supercup, 2017, 2020 DFL-Supercup, 2020, 2021 DFL-Supercup, 2021
* DFB-Ligapokal
** ''Runners-up:'' 2003 DFB-Ligapokal, 2003
European
*
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
** Winners:
1996–97
** ''Runners-up:'' 2012–13 UEFA Champions League, 2012–13
* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup
** Winners: 1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup, 1965–66
* UEFA Cup
** ''Runners-up'': 1992–93 UEFA Cup, 1992–93, 2001–02 UEFA Cup, 2001–02
* UEFA Super Cup
** ''Runners-up:'' 1997 UEFA Super Cup, 1997
International
*
Intercontinental Cup
** Winners:
1997
Regional
* Oberliga West, Oberliga West/West German Championship
** Winners: 1947–48 Oberliga, 1947–48, 1948–49 Oberliga, 1948–49, 1949–50 Oberliga, 1949–50, 1952–53 Oberliga, 1952–53, 1955–56 Oberliga, 1955–56, 1956–57 Oberliga, 1956–57 ''(record)''
** ''Runners-up'': 1960–61 Oberliga, 1960–61, 1962–63 Oberliga, 1962–63
* Westphalia Cup
** Winners: Westphalia Cup#Pre-1981, 1947
UEFA club coefficient ranking
Affiliated clubs
The following clubs are currently affiliated with Borussia Dortmund:
* Hyderabad FC
* Buriram United
* Marconi Stallions FC
* Iwate Grulla Morioka
* Hoa Binh FC, Hoa Binh
See also
*
Borussia Dortmund II
*Borussia Dortmund Youth Sector
*List of Borussia Dortmund seasons
References
External links
*
Borussia Dortmund on Bundeliga official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dortmund, Borussia
Borussia Dortmund,
1909 establishments in Germany
Association football clubs established in 1909
Sport in Dortmund
Football clubs in Germany
Football clubs in North Rhine-Westphalia
G-14 clubs
Multi-sport clubs in Germany
Publicly traded sports companies
UEFA Champions League winning clubs
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winning clubs
Intercontinental Cup winning clubs
Bundesliga clubs
2. Bundesliga clubs